When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Going to Limerock next week and know it's going to be cold. Want to make sure my engine temp is at least 175 or higher before I go out. Is there an easy way to do this through the OBD2 port? It doesn't have to be a permanent solution like a mounted gauge (although that would be nice). A simple OBD2 plug-in device that I could unplug before going on track would suffice. I did do a search for this in this forum and didn't find anything - kind of surprising.
I purchased a Kiwi 3 OBDII device last year with the hopes of getting oil temp, but found out that device does not report oil temp for my '12 Cayman S. Without knowing for sure, I got the sense that oil temp is not available for a 987.2 Cayman through the OBDII port. (Vs not being available through the Kiwi 3 device or its app -- or via the CAN bus.) Would really appreciate any corrections or updates another Cayman owner may have.
Yes, it is not available through the OBDII port, only through the CAN bus. I searched high and low for any way to do this. The Aim Solo DL will do it when connected properly. The good news is that with the release of the DL2, I've seen a few used DL's around $400. Not a bad investment.
As a point of ref., I see you're working on a 987.1 which has the Bosch DME. On the 987.2 DFI/981 cars (with the Siemens DME) the oil temperature is available in the OBDII line.
Yes, I am working on a 987.1. Thanks for clarifying the point on the diff of later cars!
Originally Posted by A432
Cool setup, good work.
As a point of ref., I see you're working on a 987.1 which has the Bosch DME. On the 987.2 DFI/981 cars (with the Siemens DME) the oil temperature is available in the OBDII line.
Thanks daylorb. Maybe I can sell my Aim Solo and put the proceeds toward a used Solo DL. How difficult is it to hook up through the CAN bus?
I've done the SoloDL hookup to the CAN bus on my 987.2. Even though you're "just" splicing a couple lines into your CAN bus, I'd say it's medium difficult because a) you need to be careful selecting the right wires and b) those wires are mighty darn small (thin; like 22 gauge). Good eyesight, a steady hand (for the cutting and soldering), soothing music in the background and about 1.5 hours should do the trick. There are a couple good step-by-step guides on the internet but I couldn't find them again prior to typing this. The attached image shows the bundle of wires you need to parse to get to the CAN lines. A little daunting, but really, if you are handy with tools and patient, not too bad.
As has been said, you get a ton of information from a SoloDL on the CAN bus including the water temp you are interested in.
Yes, I am working on a 987.1. Thanks for clarifying the point on the diff of later cars!
It's not quite all later cars. The 987.2 - 2.9 is port injection and AFAIK - still using the Bosch ECU that doesn't output the oil temperature on the OBD-II connector. I've tried..
Very cool - love that setup. I wired in a DL via CAN, pretty simple actually, but this even better.
Thanks!
The drilled hole does not look as bad in reality as it does on the photos. But I guess I'll rework it with some more patience. Wanted to get a look on the finished thing on the weekend....
It's not quite all later cars. The 987.2 - 2.9 is port injection and AFAIK - still using the Bosch ECU that doesn't output the oil temperature on the OBD-II connector. I've tried..
And on the 987.2 2.9 with Solo DL CAN, you do get an oil temperature (and pressure) but they report implausible low values, for example the oil temp it reports is typically 30-35F lower than the reported coolant temp (which looks right).
I've performed the AIM Solo splicing into the CAN bus wires -- it was a little nerve racking, but honestly it was fairly straight forward. There are many articles detailing the process -- if anyone is interested, let me know and I can dig up the links.
I'd note that I also have a COBB Access port (uses the ODB2 port) and it does report oil temp and pressure but the values are *not* accurate. Running both the AIM Solo DL on CAN and the COBB on the ODB2 port at the same time, I found the COBB under reports critical values (like oil temp) and is not trust worthy. I reported this to COBB and they've acknowledge the issue but have not addressed the issues thus far. Rather disappointed with COBBs suppport.
03-25-2018, 11:27 AM
oil temperature gauge for 987.2 Cayman?
